Which to use
“varíola” is a noun and “vários” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,414
- “varíola” frequency rank
- #325
- “vários” frequency rank
- 28739
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | varíola | vários |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | doença contagiosa aguda (oficialmente declarada extinta do planeta na década de 1970), de origem viral, caracterizada por febre, dor no corpo, vômitos e lesões cutâneas | plural de vário |
Where the eye mixes varíola and vários
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. varíola runs 7 letters (CVCVVCV) against vários's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses varíola with vários
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: varíola is /vɐ.ˈɾi.u.lɐ/ while vários is /ˈva.ɾjuʃ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28739, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
varíola is recorded at frequency rank #28,414, classified as anoun, pronounced /vɐ.ˈɾi.u.lɐ/. vários is at rank #325, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈva.ɾjuʃ/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 28739, this pair ranks #40,054 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of varíola vs vários
Shared letters: orv. Private to "varíola": alí. Private to "vários": isá.
"varíola" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "vários" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "varíola" for "vários" ever safe?
Which is more common, "varíola" or "vários"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "varíola" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vários" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #40,054 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "varíola" and "vários" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "variada vs varíola". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #40,054 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.